Crowns

Purpose of crowns

Crowns or “caps” are dental restorations that fully or partially cover a tooth.  They are used in situations where the tooth is likely to break or is too damaged to be restored with a traditional filling. Crowns are placed to:

• Help strengthen a heavily-restored tooth to prevent future fracture
• Restore loss of tooth structure from heavy grinding
• Improve tooth aesthetics
• Strengthen teeth that have a root canal
• Relieve pain from any damage or fractures
• Hold a bridge in place
  

Types of crowns

There are four main types of crowns; gold, porcelain fused to metal (PFM), all-porcelain and Zirconia.  All are tooth coloured with the obvious exception of gold. Each of these materials have unique attributes that are designed for specific situations. Your dentist will work with you to decide which crown is best for you.  Despite the different materials, most crowns cost about the same.

When selecting the material for your crown, your dentist will consider factors such as:

• Your tooth’s location
• How much of the tooth will show when you smile
• Position of your gum tissue
• The function of the tooth that needs the crown
• How much natural tooth is remaining
• Colour of the surrounding teeth
• The strength and durability of the crown material

>  Learn More

What to expect when you get a crown

At your first appointment at Viva Dental Victoria, we will anesthetize the tooth being treated, remove the old filling if necessary and then prepare the tooth as conservatively as possible (1.5 to 2mm to be exact!) to create room for the crown. After carefully shaping the tooth, a 3D scan or impression of the tooth will be taken. This impression allows the lab technician to create a crown that looks and feels like your natural tooth.

A temporary crown will be created, polished and cemented. You will wear the temporary crown for about two weeks. During this time, you will want to be gentle with the tooth avoiding sticky and hard foods. If the temporary crown dislodges, try to replace it as fast as possible, and call us for an appointment to re-cement it.  The purpose of temporary crowns is to protect the tooth, to keep the gums from rolling over the prepared margins of the tooth and to hold the other teeth around it in place.

At your second visit, you may be anesthetized again, the temporary crown will be removed and the final crown will be placed and checked for appearance and fit. The crown will be inserted with an adhesive cement, excess cement will be removed, and the bite will be assessed to ensure a comfortable fit.

Crowns may be sensitive to cold or biting for a few days, but this is usually a temporary condition. Be sure to call us if you have ongoing sensitivity or if the bite feels “off”.